7. Welcomes the Commission’s announcement of a new notice and action scheme, and recalls in this context that under the e-commerce directive, information society service providers have a duty to act under certain circumstances with a view to preventing or stopping illegal activities online;

Notwithstanding the institutional problem, perhaps even because of the institutional problem, Europe has a duty to act, and to act now.

Mr President, given that the islands are now in a state of limbo – the parliament has stopped the executive from acting and the executive believes it has a duty to act under EU law – I would ask that you request the transport and competition Commissioners to examine this matter urgently and determine whether these island routes really have to be put out to tender under EU competition law.

The board of BNFL has a duty to act autonomously in the interests of the company.

The European Community has a duty to act, therefore, in its own interest and in that of the international community, to combat this phenomenon.

(40) Both existing and emerging disparities in Member States' legislation and case-law concerning liability of service providers acting as intermediaries prevent the smooth functioning of the internal market, in particular by impairing the development of cross-border services and producing distortions of competition; service providers have a duty to act, under certain circumstances, with a view to preventing or stopping illegal activities; this Directive should constitute the appropriate basis for the development of rapid and reliable procedures for removing and disabling access to illegal information; such mechanisms could be develop ...[+++]ed on the basis of voluntary agreements between all parties concerned and should be encouraged by Member States; it is in the interest of all parties involved in the provision of information society services to adopt and implement such procedures; the provisions of this Directive relating to liability should not preclude the development and effective operation, by the different interested parties, of technical systems of protection and identification and of technical surveillance instruments made possible by digital technology within the limits laid down by Directives 95/46/EC and 97/66/EC.